FIGHTING fires on the derelict Boot estate has cost Liverpool taxpayers more than half-a-million pounds since 2004.

Figures released by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority show an average of £116,572 was spent every year for the last four years.

The worst year for attacks, 2006/07, saw £152,588 spent on tackling 74 blazes in empty properties.

The figures also revealed the cost of attending a derelict property fire is £2,127.

Fire Authority member Cllr Dave Hanratty said the Boot fires were the tip of the iceberg, and that the figure across all other housing market renewal initiative (HMRI) areas, including other parts of North Liverpool, would be much greater.

A spokesman for housing association LMH said it did everything it could to protect properties from vandals and arsonists.